Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion
by Assassin master ezio 91
Summary: When certain photographs begin appearing which paint Max Caulfield in a bad light, she finds herself in a dark and unfriendly situation. Her passion has been turned against her and now, she must try to find out the truth, as well as figure out why. But it is no easy task, not when she is faced with torments every day, all due to a simple moment being misinterpreted.
1. Chapter 1

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 1 of a new Life is Strange story, a word of warning, this story contains strong bullying themes, so if that affects you negatively, I'd recommend avoiding. just to clear some things up, in this, there is no Dark Room, Jefferson isn't crazy, Kate did face some nasty bullying issues, but there was no ulterior motive (Dark Room), just high school craziness out of control. Also, of course, no rewind or tornado. Max and Warren are already together at the start of this story and Chloe is still alive; she and Nathan did not confront each other in the bathroom either.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was the end of another school day at the prestigious Blackwell Academy in Arcadia Bay. One of the students, eighteen year old Maxine Caulfield, better known as Max; was putting her things away in her bag. She was in her favourite class, photography, and had just went through a rather interesting lesson. She was thinking about something else however as she slung her bag strap over her shoulder and stood up.

' _I wonder if Mr. Jefferson had a chance to check the pictures I asked him to take a look at.'_ She wondered. _'I better talk to him.'_

She stood up and began to approach his desk; she bit her lip; feeling nervous and uneasy as usual. She sighed and tried to compose herself.

She did her best to focus. _'Urgh, I always get so nervous and uneasy around Mr. Jefferson...around, everyone. Just once I'd love to have a normal conversation with people, without feeling like I'm going to say something stupid or embarrass myself.'_

She shook her head, tried to pull herself together and approached.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Jefferson." She said, thankful she at least didn't start stammering.

He looked up and smiled lightly. "Ah, Max, what can I do for you?"

Max shifted awkwardly. "I was just...wondering if you saw the photos I gave you, to ask you to look at?"

"Ah yes." He replied, smiling wider. "I did see them, they're very well done."

Max smiled at that; but then bit her lip.

Shifted her feet; she said what was on her mind.

"But, there's something not right, they...they're not that great." She said quietly.

Mr. Jefferson sighed. "Max, you're getting too worked up, you have to understand, things are not always easy. Not only that, I know the difficulties of using such a camera like yours, I did use such a camera myself."

Max sighed, but Mr. Jefferson spoke reassuringly. "Like I said, it's difficult, I know...But you can overcome those difficulties. If you like, I can help you, give you some pointers on how to improve."

"R-really, wow, thanks." Max replied at once, brightening up at once.

So it was that she began to take in the information while Mr. Jefferson continued to talk. Watching them was another student, Victoria Chase, who watched the scene before her with a dark glare.

She did not like what she saw. _'Urgh, I should've guessed, that Max Caulfield; oh she plays the sweet innocent waif hipster; but here she is, clearly trying to get with Mr. Jefferson. Does she think she has a chance...'_

She paused for a moment however, thinking carefully.

' _Wait a minute, no, how likely is that, c'mon, even Max isn't that...'_ She noted. _'Still, he pays far too much attention to her, she thinks that she can get everything she wants from him.'_

She suppressed a growl; in her mind, there was only one clear outcome; she had to put Max Caulfield in her place, the question was, how.

As she thought of that however, she realized a way.

She grinned as she pulled out her phone. _'Well, well, wait a minute, that could work, just have to_ pretend _that my previous thoughts were true. Of course Mr. Jefferson will probably be hurt too; but it's something that I'll have to accept.'_

So, grinning to herself, she secretly used her phone to take a picture of Max and Mr. Jefferson talking, her first step was done. Unaware of this however, Max smiled as she finally left the class, feeling more enthusiastic than before, she was hopeful now and was determined to put Mr. Jefferson's tips to good use. As she left however she spotted Victoria and bit her lip, noting the way the girl was sneering at her.

' _What's her problem, man, I hope she hasn't got some drama planned, I don't think I'm in the mood for any of that nonsense right now.'_ Max thought to herself.

Shaking her head she put the matter from her mind and instead began to walk down the corridor, she smiled lightly, letting the pressures of the day leave her. Her smiled widened as she came to the end of the corridor and found her boyfriend, Warren Graham waiting for her.

"Yo, Max." Warren greeted her with a grin.

She returned said grin as they embraced and kissed. "Hey Warren. What's up?"

Warren shrugged. "Nothing much, just waiting for my day to brighten up, and it just has."

Max rolled her eyes and laughed.

Shaking her head at Warren's corny but rather touching joke, she took his hand and together they left the school building, talking about their day.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, a sort of, calm before the storm chapter if you will, next chapter will also be that, things really pick up in chapter 3 however, anyway, read and review please.


	2. Chapter 2

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 2 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, I don't think so, there are hints way back in even episode 1 that he was the villain, so they had that planned right from the very start.  
dat-gal: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Max smiled to herself as she and Warren exited the main building of Blackwell, stepping out into the main campus. Max took a moment to savour the air, not to warm, not to cold, just perfect. Warren also smiled, noting her expression and squeezed her hand gently.

"Well, what do you wanna do?" He asked casually.

Max shrugged. "I don't know, let's just, walk for now, maybe sit down somewhere."

Warren nodded and together they made their way down the steps, as they walked they occasionally made small talk together and greeted other students who passed them.  
"So, how was class?" Warren asked.

Max smiled and replied. "Great, I...I spoke to Mr. Jefferson about those photos I sent him, he checked them and also gave me some tips on how to get better shots with my camera."

Warren grinned. "Cool."

Max nodded and then added. "What about you, I heard Ms. Grant say there was a science test today?"

Warren laughed and replied at once. "Yeah, well, aced it of course."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

They both smiled as they stopped and sat under one of the trees, enjoying each other's company and the scenery.

They sat in silence for a while; both reflecting on how, lately, there hadn't been much drama for once.

"It's been relaxed day for a change." Warren commented, bringing it up.

Max nodded in agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it."

They both smiled and said hello to Stella as she passed, Stella returned their greeting smiling. They remained seated watched the other students pass by and basically enjoying the sights. They were once more wrapped in a comfortable silence.

This time Max was the one to break it. "This is nice, just...hope nothing goes wrong. I'd like this to last, for a long time."

"Yeah, we all would, but seriously Max, shouldn't say things like that." Warren told her.

She nodded, laughing slightly. "Good point, don't wanna jinx it."

Another pause; Max bit her lip, pondering for a moment.

"Well, I wanna at least, remember this moment, forever." She said reaching into her bag.

Warren's smile widened as Max took her camera out of her bag. He leaned in closer, the two of them had an arm around the other. Max held the camera out at arms length, making sure to get both of them in shot before taking the selfie. Once done she took the developed photo and Warren smirked.

"Can't wait to see it once it's all ready."

Max laughed. "I'll be sure you're the first one."

They continued to pass the time together, basking in their gentle love for one another.

* * *

It was some time later that Max returned to the dorms. Opening the door and entering the corridor of her floor, she noted that things were quiet for a change. The only sign of any activity she saw was Dana and Juliet hanging around outside the latter's room, chatting. They both smiled and greeted her as she came level with them.

"Hey Max." Dana said, smiling widely.

Juliet nodded, also smiling. "What up, Max."

Max returned their greetings and smiles. "Hey Dana, Juliet. Nothing much, just been a pretty regular day."

Juliet sighed. "Those are few and far between here, it's good to actually have one of those for once."

"Tell me about it, always best to savour it while it lasts." Dana added.

Max nodded in agreement before excusing herself and heading for her dorm room. Once inside she smiled as she sat down on her and pulled out her phone. She had a few texts from Chloe and her mother she quickly responded to them.

Chloe's texts were for arrangements to meet for lunch at the Two Whales someday, Max had of course replied eagerly. Her mother's text was one of the usual ones, just checking up on her, making sure she was alright.

She replied to that too but hesitated before hitting send. There was one lingering matter after all, something she hadn't told her parents yet.

' _Should I...Tell them about Warren and I...I mean, it's; maybe, maybe I'll wait for now.'_ She thought, coming to a decision. _'Better to see if I can make arrangements for Warren and I to go up and visit some day, they can meet face to face, that would be, better, surely.'_

So, satisfied with that, she sent the text then. Smiling to herself she got up, turned on her hi-fi before picking up her guitar and, as the music began she played along.

* * *

Meanwhile, in her own room, Victoria was working on her computer; she had just uploaded the picture she had taken earlier in the day.

' _Perfect, now I just need to...'_ She thought to herself, before glaring. _'Urgh, that music, the selfie ho is in her little cave again. Well, we'll see how long it takes until she learns her place. Tomorrow, everything begins.'_

With that she began to work, all it would take would be a few changes here and there and the photo would be the perfect starting point. Max Caulfield would be ruined and would learn just how unworthy she was.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, things are going to take a drastic turn in the next chapter, so be ready, read and review please.


	3. Chapter 3

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 3 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Marina Ka-Fai: Not really, if you take into account he is a psychopath, so it all makes perfect sense and isn't weak at all. Thanks :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

The day dawned brightly on Arcadia Bay; with the promise of another temperate day, Max woke up and stretched, yawning.

' _Looks like it's going to be another calm day, I hope.'_ She thought to herself.

She immediately got to work getting herself ready for the day and before long she was in her room getting dressed; suddenly, while doing so, she tensed, a strange tingling sensation overcame her

' _Whoa, that was weird, I just felt like...a chill...'_ She thought to herself, disturbed; but tried to ignore it. _'It's probably nothing, it's a beautiful day after all; what could happen?'_

She knew she was taking a chance, thinking that, but truthfully, she couldn't figure out how anything could go wrong. So, preparing herself at last, Max left her dorm room and began to leave the dorms. She couldn't help but note that she seemed to be later than she usually was.

She pondered on it. _'That's odd, normally there's still people getting ready when I leave...It's not that late, oh well, things don't always stay the same.'_

So, accepting it for what it was, something different happening, she left the dorms and began making her way to the main building. It was when she entered the main building at last that Max noticed something wasn't right, on the contrary, that strange chill she felt earlier returned, only now it seemed more viable and in context, made much more sense.

The moment she entered the main hall, all eyes turned to her and immediately people began whispering, more than a few actually glared at her.

' _What the…? Okay...that's odd.'_ She thought to herself, worried.

It suddenly seemed that every step she took, she was being watched, judged, the whispering and stares wouldn't stop. As she approached her locker she saw Brooke approaching her; she smiled lightly, trying to be friendly, despite her uneasiness.

"Hey Brooke."

Brooke however glared at her and words were spat with such venom. "Hey, cheating slut."

Max froze at that, stepping back; shocked. Not to mention confused, she couldn't believe Brooke would say that, not only that, it was clear now exactly what the whispering, staring and glares were about now, those people were thinking along the same lines.

Max shook her head. _'But, but why would they think that, Warren and I are...What are they even…?'_

She was so shocked, her only response was one word. "What?"

"I can't believe you'd betray Warren like that." Brooke snarled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Max gasped, shocked at the accusation.

Brooke merely glared. "Oh, like you didn't know."

With that she turned and left, leaving Max amongst a crowd of glaring whispering accusers. It was then she saw the reason for the accusations. For there, on the wall, no longer blocked from view by Brooke, was a photo on the wall.

The photo was of her and Mr. Jefferson. Max recognized it as having been taken during the conversation she had with him yesterday. But something was wrong, this picture showed her and Mr. Jefferson seeming to be in a more...intimate situation, hinting at something, more going to happen.

' _What the fuck...that's, that's…?'_ She thought in shock.

A sense of dismay overcame her; she knew this wasn't right, this photo was clearly photo-shopped, she knew that. But it was so well done that so many others thought it was real and clearly believe she was cheating on Warren, with Mr. Jefferson.

What was worse, as she tried to hurry away, trying to reach her locker, she saw there was more than one of those photos, they were in fact, nearly all over the school.

She shook her head, dismay clouding her. _'Who, how could this...Why?'_

She heard the laughter and knew what was coming, nevertheless, it didn't lessen the sting.

"Hey, there she is...Max Caulfield the slut." One student taunted.

"I...I..." She stammered, trying to defend herself.

She heard more laughter and another student stepped forwards.

"Ha, who knew Max Caulfield was that desperate." They taunted.

Max was shocked and horrified by this, she could feel herself breaking down, not only that, she could feel her face heating up in shame.

She shook her head in desperation. _'This isn't, urgh, I...I gotta get outta here.'_

She tried to escape, to get away from the noise, the laughter, the taunts.

Unfortunately her escape attempt was thwarted, even as she pushed her way passed a few of the people. She suddenly reached someone who wouldn't move and instead pushed her. She stumbled back, almost falling over. Looking up her heart dropped when she saw it was Victoria and her friends, Taylor and Courtney, not only that however, another Vortex Club girl she recognized as Sarah, stood there, smirking at her.

' _Shit...no...'_ She thought in dismay, these were the last people she wanted to see her.

"So..." Sarah remarked with a savage grin. "The quiet retro girl turns out to be a She-Wolf, who would have thought?"

Victoria smirked as Taylor and Courtney laughed. "Indeed Sarah, well, this changes things, doesn't it Max."

"Victoria..."

Victoria just shook her head as she added. "You don't need to put 'Selfie' in front of her nickname anymore. Whore works just fine."

Max flushed in shame, already feeling tears pricking her eyes, she fought them back, stepped back as the laughter continued.

' _No, no, this isn't...how could this, why…?'_

She didn't understand it, she felt lost, not only that she lost all chance of escaping when, at that moment, the bell rang and she had to go to class. Still in shock and terrified at everything that was going on, Max made her way to class; having a dark horrible feeling that this wasn't going to be resolved any time soon.

* * *

End of chapter, things begin now, read and review please.


	4. Chapter 4

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 4 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Yeah :(  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, unfortunately, this is just the beginning.  
Wolfgirl2013: Yeah :(  
Guest: Yeah, well, we can only wait and see.  
Time Dragon: Well, we'll have to wait and find out.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Max bit her lip and tried hard to concentrate, not an easy task since, even as she entered her photography class and went to take her seat, the whispering and glares continued. Distracting would not even begin to describe how it affected her.

Max had never had strong confidence in the first place, she herself fully acknowledged this; however the rapid turn of people's opinion of her, their eagerness to believe the pictures were true. It all served to deliver a blow to her confidence much stronger than she expected.

' _God this is, I just want to...disappear.'_ She thought sadly. _'I know it's not true, but, with everybody believing it, no matter what I say...I don't see an end to this...'_

She bowed her head as she sat, trying hard to ignore everything, no easy task. She couldn't even bring herself to bring everything she needed out of her bag. She just, sat there, letting the sound wash over her and embed itself in her mind. It disturbed her how easily people's opinion of her shifted; her only hope being that some people, anyone, did not believe it.

' _Their faces...Kate, Stella, Alyssa, Daniel...They don't, they don't believe, they must...'_ She noted and wondered. _'Oh please tell me they believe me.'_

It was something to hope for; so long as she had someone's support, it would give her a chance.

That wasn't her only fear however, it then occurred to her, something that panicked her even more.

Her thoughts raced. _'Warren...What if, what if he finds out, what will he say, what will he think? Oh God...okay, calm down Max. Warren loves you, he trusts you; he'll give you a chance to explain your story...'_

She could only hope he'd believe her, she needed him, more than ever now. It was then the door opened and Mr. Jefferson entered, his appearance caused the whispering to intensify greatly. Max felt her face heat up even more and she bowed her head, despite knowing her own innocence, she still felt ashamed.

Mr. Jefferson heard the whispering and was confused. _'Just what is going on now?'_

Clearing his throat he spoke up, trying to calm things down.

"Alright everyone, settle down." He said at last.

His words had no effect, smirking Victoria spoke up.

"Sorry Mr. Jefferson, we're just all...surprised at something we've all seen. I thought you'd heard about it." She said, glanced at Max, her smirk turning malicious. "There have been some...unusual pictures appearing around school."

Jefferson raised an eyebrow at this, noting everybody's reactions, especially Max's. "Oh, what exactly are these pictures?"

Victoria paused for a moment; heightening the anticipation.

She finally explained.

"The pictures show you and Max in a rather...intimate setting; rather, strange that such a thing would happen, don't you think?" She remarked. "After all, who would benefit from that, unless they're expressing...wishful thinking."

Max froze, horrified, she had no idea why Victoria was saying this, but she couldn't miss her implication, that Max had made these pictures herself. It was clear Jefferson was shocked by this, the class was laughing, save for the ones who Max had noted earlier.

Victoria shrugged. "It's interesting, how pictures can show things about people, that they didn't want others to see...unless things get, out of hand."

"Yes Victoria, that is true." Mr. Jefferson remarked exasperatedly. "But it is also true that pictures can used to weave an elaborate fiction, now if we can just..."  
It was clear they weren't listening, too busy laughing and ignoring his lecture.

Max felt even more dismayed and oppressed by this, fidgeting anxiously. At that moment however, they heard the screech of the school's PA system turning on, and Principal Wells voice sounded through it.

"Would Mr. Jefferson and Max Caulfield please report to the Principal's office, immediately."

This of course drew more whispers from the students, but Max was glad of the excuse to get out of there. She left the class quickly, along with Mr. Jefferson.

As they walked down the hallway, Jefferson turned to Max.

"Max, what is going on?" He queried.

Max sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I swear, I didn't do anything, it just...Someone is setting us up, why, I don't know."

Jefferson sighed. "Who would want to set us up?"

"I don't know, maybe Victoria, but...that's just too obvious." Max replied sadly.

Jefferson sighed, clearly at a loss too. He was also clearly worried and disturbed by all this. Finally they entered Principal Wells office, he looked up as they entered and nodded.

"Ah, good, there you are, sit down." He said, gesturing to the chairs opposite his desk.

He sat down in his own chair as they did so. There was a momentary, tense, silence.

Principal Wells then spoke up. "Now, I'm sure you're aware of why I've called you here, It concerns certain...suggestive pictures that have appeared around the school, regarding the two of you?"

"Sir, this is someone's idea of a sick joke." Max burst out desperately, trying to explain.

Mr. Jefferson nodded and explained. "Max is right sir, there is nothing between us. Our relationship is strictly that of a teacher and student."

Principal Wells sighed. "If what you're saying is true, then someone is going to a lot of trouble to make it seem otherwise."

"Yes, I don't know who, but I swear, this has nothing to do with either of us, I swear it." Max replied at once.

"Very well." Principal Wells replied. "So be it; if this is true, then I will get to the bottom of it."

With that he dismissed them, but Max had a dark feeling that something wasn't quite right and things wouldn't in fact be resolved, any time soon.

* * *

Meanwhile, Warren was waiting in the science class for the day to begin. As he waited however, he soon found himself facing a distraction. Said distraction came in the form of Nathan Prescott who choose that moment to 'accidentally' bump into him, nearly knocking Warren off his stool.

"Hey." He muttered.

Nathan just smirked. "Well, well, just when I thought you couldn't be any more of a loser, beta phag."

Warren ignored the insult, having heard it so many times before. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, so you haven't heard." Nathan taunted with a grin. "That nosy little Max Caulfield is a slut with absolutely no loyalty to you."

Warren's anger spiked and he glared. "What did you say?!"

Laughing at him, Nathan put someone, a picture of some sort, down on the desk. "Just look at that, loser."

With that he turned and walked away, Warren looked at the picture.

"What the hell?" He gasped.

It was a picture of Max and Mr. Jefferson, their positions certainly suggested something rather...intimate going on. He was shocked, he couldn't believe it, he wouldn't believe, not until he got the story from Max's own mouth.

* * *

End of chapter, read and review please.

Yes, things are going from bad to worse now, as for Max's suspicions, we of course know who was responsible, but as Max said, Victoria is too obvious, but that's what Victoria was counting on. Since people assume she's the obvious suspect, they'll overlook her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 5 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Marina Ka-Fai: True, the maturity of some people is always questionable :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Yeah.  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah, we can only hope.  
**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Max let out a shuddering breath as she finally left Principal Wells office; along with Mr. Jefferson, he thankfully believed them and promised to look into things to try and get to the bottom of this. Max cringed and turned her head away as she was faced with another of those photos attached to the wall.

' _Oh God, this isn't...'_ Her thoughts raced desperately. _'Despite everything, what if, Principal Wells isn't well known for, moving quickly when it comes to things like this.'_

Trying to stay calm and not let her fears overcome her, Max began to walk on. But then Mr. Jefferson stopped her.

"Max, I'm sorry about all this." He said.

Max sighed and shook his head. "It's not your fault."

"Yes..." He replied; nodding slowly. "I'm afraid we'll have to brace ourselves Max."

She looked up at him, confused, until he clarified.

"Something tells me this is only going to get worse, before it gets better." He explained.

Max sighed; realizing what he meant. "Yeah, god this is going to ruin us both until it's fixed."

Jefferson nodded. "Yes. I...I'm not like Kate; but I sincerely pray that this will be resolved quickly."

Max agreed; her mind full of everything that happened before and what was happening now. It was almost completely overwhelming.

There was a brief pause; during which Max bowed her head.

' _God, this is such a mess...'_ She thought sadly.

"Max, if you want, I can excuse you from class." Mr. Jefferson then stated.

Max started at that. "I, um..."

He raised a hand and explained. "Trust me, it'll probably be for the best...Take a break, prepare yourself for what's likely to follow all this. I'll e-mail today's lecture to you later."

Max bit her lip, but nodded. "Thanks."

Accepting this she allowed herself to let out her nervous energy in one sigh. Mr. Jefferson nodded and made his way back to class. Max meanwhile made her way to the bathroom. Once inside she made her way to the sink, already feeling her limbs trembling.

' _Actually, messed up doesn't begin to describe this.'_ She thought sadly as she quickly washed her face, trying to calm down. _'How could someone, anyone do this, it's...didn't this school learn anything from that video and Kate?'_

She bit her lip, thinking carefully, trying to consider any possible suspects, apart from the obvious ones. But it was no good; her mind was too full of the pressure of everything that had happened, so many people being against her and what was more, she had to face more of it, of that she was sure.

Her fears intensified as she thought about her situation.

It reached its peak as something finally fully registered in her mind. _'_ _My mind's too full, I'm still not over seeing those pictures, oh God...everybody can see...What will Warren think, oh no, I...'_

That was her chief fear, what if Warren saw the pictures, would he believe the truth, would he give her a chance to talk. It was only when she looked up at the mirror that she saw her eyes were filled with tears.

' _Oh shit, I'm losing it now.'_ She noticed, brushing away the tears. _'Get a hold of yourself Max.'_

She continued to breathe, trying to calm herself down, regulate her breathing and prepare herself for her upcoming encounter, she knew she had to find Warren. Finally regaining control of herself, Max straightened up and turned away, leaving the bathroom, preparing for whatever came next, for at that moment the bell rang.

She had to head for her next class now and hopefully find Warren along the way, before it was too late. Once she stepped out of the bathroom, she cringed as she noted already the corridors were crowded with students. Many of them were whispering, more so when they spotted her.

It wasn't going to be easy, but her only option was to go to her next class. So she began walking to it, head down, blushing at some of the insults being sent her way.

As she walked a voice got her attention, a familiar voice that made her tense, this was the moment she had been dreading.

"Max, hey, Max!"

She turned ad sure enough, there he was, hurrying towards her.

"Warren..." She whispered; equal parts hopeful and afraid.

He finally reached her and fought to catch his breath for a minute.

"Warren I..." She began.

Warren's expression however stopped her as he then spoke. "Nathan showed me...one of those photos."

She froze, it was already too late.

"Oh God..."

Warren shook his head before speaking. "Max, please, talk to me, I want the truth."

Inhaling shakily she finally spoke. "Warren I...They're lies, they're photo-shopped, someone, someone's out to ruin me."

There was silence between them following this until Warren finally broke it.

"God Max, you're sure this..."

Max quickly burst out, desperate. "Positive, I swear Warren, there's nothing going on between me and Mr. Jefferson, it's all lies."

She was so afraid, she was certain things would fall apart, it sounded like a lame excuse to her; how would he take it. However it was clear her desperation was clear and Warren seemed to register what she was saying.

"I believe you Max, I do."

With that, ignoring the whispers of the other students, he hugged her and she felt herself go limp, hopeful at last, what mattered most to her was Warren believing the truth, and he did. That at least was some relief.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	6. Chapter 6

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 6 of my Life is Strange story, things continue.

 **Reviews**

 **Wolfgirl2013: Yeah, sadly, it doesn't seem to be getting better.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, at least it shows he still cares for her :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Well, only slightly, anyway, things aren't getting any easier.  
Time Dragon: Thanks, glad you liked him :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Max could feel her fingernails digging into her palms as she balled her hands into fists. Impressive given how short her nails were. She was doing this _and_ biting her lip, all in an effort to hold back the tears which threatened to prick at her eyes.

' _God...'_ Her thoughts seemed almost choked with tears too. _'This just keeps getting worse, so many people...the things they said about me, I can't believe they'd think that...'_

It was true, it was the end of the day, she was on her way back to her dorm, she had just endued an entire day of snide comments and mockery. All of it added up to leave her distraught.

However it wasn't all bad. _'Some people at least believed me, didn't mock me...But then there are those like Stella; they, I don't know what's she's thinking, or any of the others like her.'_

She considered that, it almost seemed to her that Stella wanted to believe Max, but couldn't be sure and so, was withholding that belief. It hurt that even people she thought were friends didn't actually seem to trust her.

' _Warren though, he's, he's trying to help me.'_ She reminded herself, trying to cheer herself up.

It was true, Warren was also with her right now, walking back to the dorms with her. In fact, the moment classes ended, he hadn't left her side, although it served only to muffle the snide comments and jeers.

It was then she was aware of Warren actually talking to her.

"Max...you alright there?"

She sighed. "Guess."

Warren bowed his head suddenly looking awkward. "I...I didn't mean it that way, sorry."

Max almost groaned, just typical of her to misinterpret Warren's actual meaning.

"No, it's, it's fine. Uh, I was, kinda spaced out, yeah..." She replied sadly.

Warren nodded slowly; still awkward, yet also still clearly worried.

Max recalled the incident they had only just left. "Thanks for defending me from Brooke."

They had just escaped from Brooke who had tried to get in Max's face about the pictures again and also to try and 'reason' with Warren. But Warren had made his thoughts clear and made her back off.

Warren glared at the mention of Brooke however. "I just don't get her, honestly...She had no right to treat you that way."

Max managed a small smile, relieved to hear that. Calming down slightly she turned to Warren and hugged him. He was momentarily taken aback but then returned the hug, doing his best to help her feel safe, despite everything that happened. Shortly afterwards they arrived at the doors to the dorms.

"I...I'm gonna help you through this." Warren said at last. "No matter what."

Max nodded, relief flooding her. "Thank you Warren, for this, for...for believing me."

Warren smiled softly. "Always Max, I promise."

Letting out a soft sigh, Max headed up to her dorm.

* * *

As she entered the dorm corridor, Max was deep in thought again, trying hard to keep the dark depressing thoughts at bay in the process.

' _What can I do, there must be something…?'_ She wondered as she began to walk down the corridor towards her room.

"Oh...Max!"

She started at the familiar voice and turned. She had just reached Dana's room and saw the door was open. Dana was inside, along with Juliet.

Max stepped inside, already feeling her insides twisting in knots. "D-Dana...Juliet…?"

They had to know, of course they knew. Juliet's expression said it all.

However what she said surprised Max. "We want your side of the story."

"I..." Max was stunned.

Dana looked at her, seriously. "Max, just tell us the truth, about those pictures."

Max tensed instantly and replied, once again desperation coloured her tone.

"They're not real, I swear it." She burst out. "I don't know who took them, but it wasn't like that, nothing like that happened, I swear."

There was silence for a moment, Dana and Juliet shared a look, clearly gauging her reaction.

Finally Dana smiled. "We believe you Max."

Juliet nodded. "Yeah, you're not the kinda person who'd lie about something like this."

Max let out a sigh of relief and thanked them, at least someone else believed her, two people in fact. Still relieved she left Dana's room, intending to make her way back to her own.

Relieved she continued her walk.

' _At least Dana and Juliet believe me, they have influence, they can help me, I'm sure...'_

Her thoughts were cut off however as somebody, hiding around the corner that led to the shower rooms stuck out their leg and tripped her up. She yelped as she fell and soon felt herself being surrounded.

She heard the laughter, the familiar laughter and lifted her head found herself looking directly at the black calf-high boots and uncovered legs of Taylor, turned her head she saw Victoria and Courtney just as Victoria spoke.

"Aww, look who it is."

Taylor laughed again. "Max Caulfield, the little slut with a taste for older men."

Max trembled, trying to hold back the tears that were again threatening to spill.

"HEY!"

She started at that, her tormentors turned, also shocked, Dana stood there, glaring at them.

Victoria snarled. "What do you want?"

Dana stepped forwards, getting right in Victoria's face. "For you to fuck off, bitch."

"Oh yeah?" Victoria shot back; a little surprised that _anyone_ was standing up to her this aggressively.

Dana shook her head, directing her glare now towards Taylor and Courtney.

"I mean it, you and your bitches get outta here now Victoria, or I swear..."

Victoria recovered and cut her off. "Whatever Dana, you think you're all that special, pah."

But they did leave, heading for Victoria's room, still laughing.

Dana quickly helped Max back to her feet, Max was still fighting to stay composed.

"Dana...thanks..."

She gave Max a warm smile. "It's alright, I've got your back Max, I promise."

Nodding gratefully, Max retreated to her own room and collapsed onto her bed, finally breaking down, letting the tears spill forth.

' _How...why, why the fuck is this happening, who did this?'_ She thought in dismay.

But no answers came to her, she continued to lie there, still crying, unable to stop.

* * *

End of chapter, poor Max's nightmare continues, read and review please.


	7. Chapter 7

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 7 of my Life is Strange story, here we go.

 **Reviews**

 **Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, she's cool :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, yeah :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

It was the morning after the photos first appeared. Max sat up in bed and let out a sigh.

' _So tired...I barely got any sleep last night; but great, here we go, another day.'_ She thought sadly. _'God only knows what they'll try to do to me today.'_

Shaking her head she got up from bed, normally she fixed her rumpled pyjamas and bedding but this time, it simply didn't occur to her to do it. She was just too distracted by her worries. She reluctantly began to get ready; wanting to take a hot shower but was fearful of running into anybody. Nevertheless she knew she had to go and get ready.

' _I have to get going, before school starts, but...I just think Mr. Jefferson is right, things are going to get worse.'_ She thought fearfully.

Still, unable to figure out any other way, she gave in, took her shower supplies and left her dorm room. Thankfully the dorm corridor seemed to be empty; with a slow breath, Max began to make her way to the showers. However, it was then she saw she was wrong, as she approached the notice board.

"Max?"

She stopped; standing by the notice board was Alyssa.

"Oh...hey Alyssa." She replied; instantly feeling the fear clawing it's way up her body.

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah, morning...Max, listen, about those pictures."

"Y-yeah…?"

Alyssa glared as she replied. "I want you to know, if I find out who was responsible; they're gonna meet my fist. I don't care who it is or what happens after that."

Max couldn't help but grin. "Thanks Alyssa."

Relieved that Alyssa also believed her; Max excused herself and made her way into the showers.

Once inside the shower room, Max found it empty, she picked one of the showers and got in; pulled the curtain closed and undressed. She started up the shower and got under it, letting out a soft sigh of relief as the hot water helped relieve her tensions and put her somewhat at ease.

' _Ah, that's much better.'_ She thought happily.

She was glad to have a moment of relief from her torments. Unfortunately even that was denied her for at that moment someone jerked the shower curtain open, Max spun around in shock.

"What the!?"

"Smile." Victoria taunted with a smirk.

To Max's horror Victoria was armed with a camera and instantly began taking several shots of her standing there, naked. She was so shocked, she almost forgot how to react. As a result, Victoria got several pictures of her exposed form before Max, blushing furiously, tried hard to cover herself, an arm going over her chest, her other hand between her legs.

Unfortunately she couldn't cover her rear which Victoria also got into shot. Victoria finally lowered the camera with a laugh, Taylor and Courtney were there too, smirking and laughing, Courtney was the one who had jerked open the shower curtain.

"Well, thanks for the photo shoot Max." Victoria said mockingly. "These should certainly help add to your latest round of fame."

With that Victoria and Courtney stepped back, Taylor, who had standing by the sink the whole time, gave a wicked grin before turning the sink on.  
"No!" Max cried out, but it was too late.

As a result, they left, laughing, while Max was suddenly blasted by the shower water turning ice cold.

The door closed and Max cried out from the freezing water.

"Fuck!"

She leapt out of the water but now she was stuck. She was standing in the small alcove, dripping wet. She had to turn the sink off, stop the cold water from the shower. She shivered uncontrollably from her dousing.

There was only one thing making her linger, still trying to cover herself while shivering and dripping wet. Knowing her luck, the instant she went to turn the sink off, someone would come in. Not only that, the photos Victoria had just took.

' _I can't believe she did that...Fuck, this isn't...She now has pictures of me, naked.'_ She thought fearfully. _'God what if she...is she going to, what am I thinking, it's Victoria, of course she is.'_

Now she had even more unflattering photos of herself being spread, at least this time the culprit was obvious to her. Shaking her head she knew she couldn't linger. She took the risk and slipped out to turn the sink off.

Once that was done she retreated back to the shower, pulling the curtain closed again and turned the shower off, now she can stand getting under it again, in order to reach the shower controls. Quickly drying herself off she pulled her pyjamas on again and began to return to her room to get dressed.

Already she was dreading heading into classes today, knowing all too well what was awaiting her.

* * *

Sure enough, later in the day, Max was nearly in tears. She had just endured another day of taunts and insults. She wasn't just being mocked for the pictures of her and Jefferson, but also the new pictures, of her in the shower. She heard the harsh laughter and a girl's voice.

"Honestly, did you see her, how sad, she has no curves, she's flat as anything." She said.

Max blushed in shame, once again reminded of her lack of womanly figure; her insecurities. However her main fear, regarding those insecurities was brought up by a second girl.

The girl looked directly at her as she spoke to her friend. "How could Warren possibly get even remotely excited by that body. What is there to fap to, huh?"

She flinched at that, but tried to stay strong.

' _God, they, they had to bring that up, I'm always so scared of what Warren will think...of my, body.'_ She thought in dismay. _'They're still at it, how, how long will this go on?'_

There was nothing she could do, despite some of the teachers taking a poor view on the other students behaviour. Ms. Grant in particular seemed to be dismayed that the students acted like this. But for Max, nothing would stop it, unless the whole truth came out.

As a result of all this, she was relieved beyond measure to finally return to her dorm by the end of the day.

* * *

But even that sanctuary was denied to her for when she opened the door she sighed.

' _Finally I...what, no…?'_ Her thoughts changed to dismay.

Her room was wrecked, trashed, the walls had been tagged with insults too.

She shook her head in dismay. _'I don't believe this, is, is nowhere safe…?'_

Dejectedly she began trying to clean up, as she did so, she heard a knock at the door and tensed; then she heard the voice of the person on the other end.

"Max?"

Max bit her lip, but replied. "Kate, uh...come in."

Kate entered the room, her eyes widening in shock. "Max...oh my God?"

Max sighed sadly but Kate recovered quickly.

"Oh, Max, this is...here, let me help."

Max let out a sigh of relief and, with Kate's help she was able to tidy up. Her room soon looked more or less the same as always now, although the walls still had visible marks from where the insults had been wiped off.

"Thanks Kate..." Max said when they were done.

Kate nodded reassuringly; Max just hoped that this was the worst of it. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

* * *

End of chapter, things are going from bad to worse for poor Max, read and review please.


	8. Chapter 8

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 8 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Wolfgirl2013: Thanks, yeah, she's acting a real bitch.  
Kaikoox: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, but it's still not easy.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Hmmm, yeah.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Joyce was smiling lightly to herself as she finished preparing dinner for the night. Everything had been pretty normal that day, she had no reason to suspect that dinner and afterwards be any different. However that soon changed when the door opened and her husband arrived home.

Hearing the door she stepped out to meet him, only to see his expression as he removed his jacket and made a disgusted noise.

"David?" She got his attention, letting her worry show.

He shook his head and shrugged. "Urgh, long day...You'd think after that happened with Kate Marsh, the school would learn."

As he said that he made his way through to the table; Joyce had brought both their plates through and set them down, sitting down herself.

"What is it, what's happened?" Joyce asked, concerned even more.

David shook his head. "Max Caulfield."

"Max?" Joyce gasped, her concern becoming full-fledged worry. "What about her…?"

David sighed and shook his head. "She's being targeted by someone; for a bullying campaign. They're using photos that paint her in a bad light, or are humiliating for her and spreading them through the school. This of course feeds that school's damn gossip machine and has resulted in her being treated like shit."

Joyce was horrified by this; of all people to suffer, Max. "Who'd do something like this?"

"I don't know, not yet...But I swear, I will get to the bottom of it." David replied, glaring.

Joyce nodded slowly, she could see, in his eyes, that he was serious.

Meanwhile, Chloe was sitting on the stairs; having began to come down for dinner. She had stopped when she heard David mention Max's name. That made her stop; she had to sit after David explained what happened, all feeling just went out of her legs after that.

She was in horrified disbelief. _'The fuck, Max is in trouble...'_

She still had to go for dinner, but right now, her main concern was her friend, she immediately pulled out her phone and began to text Max.

" _Hey, Mad Max, what the shiz is going on at school, had to find out from Step-Douche about your troubles…?"_

Max replied quickly and her reply worried Chloe greatly.

" _Sorry Chloe, everything's just been so messed up, it's not gonna stop either, not unless some miracle happens."_

Chloe bit her lip and, when her mother called out to her for her to join them for dinner, she did so. Putting her phone away.

All the same, she couldn't help but notice. _'Holy shit, no emoji...she really is all worked up over this…?'_

She was really worried for Max; she had to think however, for some way to help Max.

* * *

It was late at night, perhaps even after midnight, but Max was still wide awake as she lay in bed. She tossed and turned, restless and her mind racing.

' _Urgh, c'mon...'_ She thought in dismay. _'Dammit, I can't, I can't just...'_

With a groan, she sat up and sighed, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. Finally she stood up, crossed the room and sat down on the sofa, she leaned back, letting out a sigh. A feeling of dismay and futility filling her despite her efforts to calm down.

' _My, my mind just won't stop, how could this have happened…?'_ She thought sadly. _'Why, why would anyone do this?'_

Tears pricked at her eyes and she blinked them back, again that feeling of despair and futility overcoming her. She was distracted at that point by a knock on her door which startled her, wondering who would be knocking on the door at this time.

"C-come in..." She said, her voice barely above a whisper.

The door opened and Max felt some relief when she saw it was Kate.

"Hey...Can't sleep?" She said, smiling sympathetically.

Max nodded sadly and sighed. "Kate, how do I, what am I going to do?"

Kate sat down next to Max, she understood Max's questions, her fears, she had suffered it herself.

Kate gently hugged Max, already seeing not only the distress that was so obvious, but the agony she was trying to hide within.

"We'll find out who's behind this." She said reassuringly.

Max sighed and replied, tonelessly. "I hope so Kate, I hope so."

Kate shook her head. "Like I said earlier today, you have people to help you. I know it's not easy Max, but don't ever make the same mistake I did and feel you are alone."

Max nodded slowly, knowing exactly what Kate meant and a surge of gratitude surged through her.

"Thanks Kate." Max replied; feeling slightly happier.

So it was, with Kate's help, Max was able to return to bed and finally get to sleep. Kate stayed until Max finally went back to sleep and even waited a bit longer to make sure Max was alright before she returned to her own room.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	9. Chapter 9

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 9 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, yeah, she is :)  
Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, it certainly does.  
Wolfgirl2013: Yeah :(  
Kaikoox: Well, here we go, it's mentioned in here.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Max slowly awoke the following morning and exhaled softly, sitting up and stretching. While still down, she could not deny she felt somewhat better.

' _Thanks Kate.'_ She thought gratefully; knowing full well that talk with the girl last night was what helped her feel better.

Standing she decided there was no sense in delaying the inevitable, she just couldn't see a way to solve this at the moment. All she could hope for was for things to eventually blow over; unless some opportunity presented itself.

As she began getting dressed, Max fretted. ' _But no matter what I do, I just can't think. The only possible suspects I can think of are all too obvious.'_

Finally she finished dressed and sighed when she looked in her mirror. _'Urgh, I look awful, all the stress of dealing with this, I guess...'_

Looking in the mirror she could see that already, she seemed to have lost some weight; no doubt due to her loss of appetite due to the stress, her skin and hair lacked any lustre whatsoever and there were dark circles forming around her eyes, due to her sleeping problems.

Shortly after pocketing her phone and picking up her bag she paused, recalling the text she had received from Chloe.

' _Chloe, I'm so sorry, I know I should have told you myself…'_

With a sigh of regret she left her room.

Her slightly improved mood however only last about another five seconds. She stepped outside, checking warily for anyone who might give her a hard time. She saw nobody. But then she saw her room slate and froze at the sight of the words written upon it:

" _Slut"_

" _Shameless"_

" _Man-Eater"_

" _Flat Bitch"_

She groaned and shook her head. Normally such things wouldn't bother her, but after everything she already suffered, this was another blow, another twist of the knife and further saddened her. Her phone then indicated she had received new text messages and tense.

' _Oh, don't tell me, the cherry on the cake of this shit-storm, right?'_ She wondered to herself.

She pulled her phone out and was surprised to see texts from her parents.

"Huh, mom...dad?" She whispered.

She checked the texts and felt as if she had been punched in the gut. Both her parents were expressing serious concern about her...About the photos.

' _But how do they…?'_ She wondered in stunned disbelief before the horrifying realization hit her. _'I can't...believe this...it's worse than I thought, the pictures are_ online _now. How else could mom and dad know?'_

With a trembling breath she texted back, trying to explain things as best she could. It was with a cold pit of dread in her stomach that she made her way to the main building after that.

Entering the main building, Max tensed as almost immediately, the stares and whispers started. Some directly mocked her, calling out to her. She did her best to ignore them and instead focus on making her way to her locker.

It took only a few minutes, but for Max, it may well have been hours. Every sexual insult known to the student body had been thrown at her. Some about the 'affair' pictures, others about her 'shower' pictures, body-shaming her.

Those were the biggest blow to her confidence, for she already had a poor body image.

' _That sort of treatment does wonders of course.'_ She thought sarcastically.

Finally reaching her locker she almost jumped at the family voice.

"Max."

She turned and her stomach dropped. She had already been taunted so many times by the jocks, particularly the football team. Now here was Logan, standing before her.

"L-Logan..." She stammered; afraid.

He shook his head. "Relax, I just...Look, I'll speak plainly Max, these pictures, are they real?"

"They've been doctored. "She replied at once, desperately. "I swear it, I'm not, I'm not like that and those other pictures, the ones in the shower, I didn't..."

Logan held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, I get it, I get it...Look, I'm sorry. I can't promise anything, but I'll try and calm my team mates down."

Max sighed but nodded. "Thanks..."

She truly was grateful, but knew. _'This still isn't going to be easy; it's getting worse.'_

Doing her best to steel herself, she made her way to her first class. One thing stood out to her, a rather different, strange expression on Brooke's face.

* * *

Warren Graham had tried hard to be a patient person all his life, it was a trait he learned from living with his family and their high expectations. Yet even his patience had limits and especially where his girlfriend being insulted was concerned.

All day he had heard ribald jests about Max, taunting her for the pictures taken, mocking even him, due to the shower pictures. It had got to the stage that, at lunch, he and Max had been sitting together, the mockery started and it only took one glance of the tears in Max's eyes to set him over the edge.

He was now leaving Principal Wells office, having received a serious lecture, but luckily just managing to avoid detention for breaking that guy's nose. It had been suddenly, Warren himself didn't even see himself doing it.

Just one minute, he was looking at Max, distraught, the next he was on his feet, glaring at the writhing young man on the ground, clutching his nose, his right hand balled into a fist, his knuckles stinging.

' _They're still stinging, but I suppose that's my reward...Oh Max, I shouldn't...Speaking of which where is Max, I was supposed to meet her?'_

He looked around worriedly, Max was nowhere in sight. Worry clawed at his stomach until his phone indicated a text, he checked it, surprised to see it was from Kate.

" _Warren."_ He read. " _Come to parking lot, quickly, I need your help."_

He bit his lip; he had a feeling this had to do with Max; only the apparent lack of urgency in Kate's text told him it wasn't dangerous. Allowing himself some breathing space, he made his way there immediately.

He arrived and soon spotted Max, seated off to the side, on one of the low walls. Her face was buried in her hands, her shoulders shook, she was clearly crying. That shocked Warren the most, hurt the most, to see Max in this state. Kate was there, an arm around Max's shoulders, trying to comfort her. He hurried over.

"Max?"

She looked up at him, gulping breaths through tears. "W-Warren, I...I..."

"What's wrong?" He asked fearfully.

She tried to tell him, but she was crying too hard. Doing her best to comfort Max, Kate explained instead.

"There's another picture circulating, now everybody thinks Max also takes drugs." She explained distastefully.

Warren gasped in horror. "God, that is..."

Kate nodded and Warren shook his head, no sense in losing it. Max needed him now. He sat down on her other side and focused on helping Kate soothe Max as best as they could.

* * *

End of chapter, read and review please, things continue to cause trouble for poor Max.


	10. Chapter 10

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 10 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Thanks; well, we can only wait and see.  
kaikoox: Thanks, glad you liked him, ah no, it's definitely all Victoria, the drugs picture is that one you find in Episode 1 in Chloe's room of Chloe doing drugs, photo-shopped to have Max in Chloe's place (The one where Max comments 'She looks super stoned').  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks and yeah, it is :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Yeah.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Max sat listlessly, staring vacantly at the table-top in front of her. It had been a day after that unfortunate incident of the third set of photos, the second doctored set, being released. Everything was in tatters and getting worse, she couldn't see any way out, her only hope being the people who stood by and supported her, no matter what.

That was partly why she was with Warren and Chloe, at the Two Whales diner, although, for once in her life, not even the irresistible smell of bacon eased her churning stomach. She couldn't eat, she didn't feel like it; if anything she felt worse than ever.

Chloe shook her head at that. "C'mon Max, I know you don't feel that great, but you _need_ to eat."

Warren nodded. "Chloe is right; Max, you haven't eaten in...I don't know how long, please..."

"Ugh, fine, I...I guess you're right." Max replied.

Despite how miserable she felt, she knew they were right; she had practically been starving herself, she couldn't do that. With perfect timing, Joyce came over at that moment.

"Hey mom." Chloe greeted her.

Seeing Chloe's pensive expression, hearing her tone, was enough for to tell Joyce that Max's distress had deepened since David first told her about it.

Doing her best to remain calm however, she spoke normally. "Chloe, Max, Warren, good to see you again, you ready to order?"

Max looked up and nodded, her voice shook slightly. "Y-yeah."

Joyce watched Max carefully as she took down their orders.

The poor girl was paler than usual, with dark shadows under her eyes and had clearly lost weight, she looked ill, this was definitely affecting her deeply.

Finally, after taking their orders down, Joyce spoke seriously. "Max, I promise, you've got my help, you need someone to talk to, I'll be there."

Max managed a small smile. "Thanks Joyce."

Nodding Joyce went back to the counter, placed their order and then, once sure nothing else required her attention, she stepped out back and made a phone call.

"Joyce?" The woman on the other end replied, sounding surprised.

She replied at once. "Vanessa, I...I heard that you've...seen those, pictures of Max."

There was a shuddering gasp from Vanessa Caulfield before finally she replied.

"Yes Joyce, I saw them, we both did...It's unreal." She said; taking a moment to compose herself before continuing. "We're on our way up to Arcadia Bay right now. Ryan is beside himself with rage."

Joyce frowned upon hearing that. "He's not angry at her is he? Those photos are complete fakes or taken against her will after all."

"Yes, we know that, Ryan is angry that, in his words, anyone would dare do this to his little girl." Vanessa explained.

Joyce smiled lightly at that, it was impossible to miss the papa wolf/mama bear instincts coming from both of Max's parents at this point.

"Listen, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Max and she's not alone." Joyce explained then. "She has people to help her through this."

Vanessa let out a soft sigh. "Good, we're still coming up though, we need to see her."

"I understand."

The call ended and Joyce sighed, this was still going to be difficult to deal with, hopefully it would be resolved soon, for Max's sake.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Blackwell, Courtney smirked to herself as, after checking to make sure nobody could see her, she easily slipped the lock and entered Max Caulfield's room. Her grin faded however as she took the room in and her eyes widened.

 _Whoa, okay…?'_ She thought hesitantly. _'Victoria sent me here to get more stuff to mess with Max, but, this...this isn't what I expected?'_

She was horrified by what she saw, the room was clearly a mess, in some places, dust was thick. It certainly said something about Max's character that the only thing in the room that seemed alive was a plant in the corner, apparently named Lisa.

Courtney bit her lip as she took in her surroundings. _'Did, we go too far? I mean, the room's neglected and...come to think of it, Max has looked pretty, neglected herself lately.'_

She recalled seeing the girl this morning when she left. It was then she saw another dust covered object on the table and she gasped.

' _Holy shit, that's her camera there, she never goes anywhere without that…?'_

It was a truly horrifying conclusion Courtney was reaching. She slowly backed out of the room, suddenly worried and feeling very guilty.

* * *

Meanwhile, Taylor smiled lightly to herself as she made her way through the hospital corridor. The latest reports were that her mother, Valerie, was vastly improving. After a lot of uncertainty and stress, things were looking up. She entered her mother's room and smiled.

"Hey mom."

Valerie looked up at her daughter and replied. "Taylor."

Taylor paused, noticing her mother's expression. _'That's odd, mom seems angry about something?'_

She sat down. "You okay?"  
"I am." Valerie replied. "Although, I've been hear some terrible things."

Taylor bit her lip, suddenly worried. "Such as?"

Valerie sighed. "I heard from my work colleague, Joyce…About things happening at your school. A disgusting bullying campaign against one of the students."

Taylor froze, knowing right away that she meant Max. She felt the heat rising to her face and fought not to panic.

Before she could reply her mother continued. "I honestly expected better from a place like Blackwell, for such a thing to happen, does anyone stop to think how that poor student must feel, being so...oppressed like this?"

Taylor felt herself beginning to tremble. "Mom, please..."

"What, are, are you involved in this?" Valerie asked, suddenly suspicious.

Taylor quickly shook her head. "Mom, of course not..."

All the same, her thoughts raced. _'_ _God, she's right...Max has looked so...destroyed these past few days, ever since, ever since we started this. God, what have we done?'_

Guilt gnawed at her, holding her in its cruel mocking grasp.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	11. Chapter 11

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 11 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Yeah, it is, well, we can only wait and see.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, more like they're waking up.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
CassieHU: Um, ooookay? Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

It was another day, another day of taunts, of the pictures now pretty much being passed around, to ensure nobody missed them. Max walked through Blackwell's campus, depressed, head down, trying to ignore it all. Despite her efforts, it was no use, nobody was going to let her forget, they taunted her practically every day.

' _This just keeps getting worse, but, I don't see how it can possibly get any better...'_ She thought to herself, recalling Mr. Jefferson's words.

Remarkably, some cruel twist of fate had seen him spared, despite the initial controversy of the first picture; he was now seen as an innocent victim, whom Max attempted to ensnare. She had no idea where that thought came from, but now it spread like wild fire.

' _Urgh, this is just...'_

She couldn't think of any way for things to get worse, at least until she bumped into someone, who promptly shoved her back. She stumbled and fell on her butt.

She scrambled to her feet, hearing the familiar mocking laughter. She looked up, desperation and anger mixing up inside her as she came face to face with Victoria again.

"Well, well, look what we have here." Victoria drawled.

Max shuddered. "You!"

The word was spat out, a combination of fear, disgust and anger, yet despite everything she still felt fear more than anything else. She recalled the shower incident all too clearly.

Victoria was far from intimidated however.

"What a shame, the once great Max Caulfield, look at you now, reduced to a pathetic nothing how fitting." She taunted. "You thought you were all that, but now you've been seen for what you truly are..."

Max glared, her anger briefly winning out in her internal turmoil. "You did this to me!"

"I'm sorry, did you just think you could accuse me?" Victoria snarked, her tone dangerous.

Max however was too angry. "I know you took those pictures of me, you tried to humiliate in the shower, then you doctored those other ones!"

"Oh please. As if, even if that were true, how would you even prove it?" Victoria replied confidently.

Just like that, Max's confidence deflated and she froze. Victoria was right.

"You can't do a thing about it." Victoria remarked triumphantly before walking off, smirking.

Max slumped; defeated.

"Max!"

She flinched as she heard that voice and turned, Brooke was approaching her.

Brooke had an unusual expression on her face however and her words proved why. "I wanna apologize..."

"Wh-what?" Max stammered, that was the last thing she expected from Brooke.

Brooke sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, I...I've been unfair to you. I know by the way, that the picture of you on drugs is fake. I was able to check it out, found some pretty obvious signs of it being tampered with and...spread the news."

Max gasped. "Wha, really, that means...thanks..."

Brooke nodded. "It won't stop things Max, but it should put doubt in their minds, one less thing to worry about."

Max let out a sigh of relief, Brooke was right about that, thanking Brooke she began to make her way back to her dorm. Things were still hard, but she finally felt hope again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Taylor sighed as she lay on her bed, she was still lost in thought, thinking about her visit to her mother recently. It was still playing on her mind, gnawing at her. Just then there was a knock at her door, she quickly up.

"Yes?"

"Taylor."

She was surprised at the girl's tone, but recognized the voice. "Come in Courtney."

Courtney entered, biting her lip.

"You busy?"

Taylor shook her head. "No, is something wrong?"

Courtney bowed her head. "I...I went into Max's room to, you know, find something to use against her...Like Victoria asked me too, but the stuff I saw, God Taylor. Her room is, neglected, it's like she doesn't even care about her surroundings or herself anymore, you've seen her..."

"Well, yeah, I saw her, but..." Taylor began.

Courtney shook her head vehemently. "Her camera is lying there Taylor, on the desk, she simply left it, that is not Max."

Taylor froze, suddenly struck by the depth of how Max seemed to be affected.

Inhaling shakily, she then revealed. "Courtney, my mom has heard about what's happening, no names but...She told me when I went to see her. I can't...I can't do this anymore Courtney. I feel horrible."

"Me too..."

Embracing the two girls shared in their guilt, wishing they could think of some way to right the wrongs they had committed.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	12. Chapter 12

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 12 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Thanks.  
CassieHU: Glad you enjoyed it.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Well, wait and see :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Yeah, it's good :)  
Angela3000: Thanks, here you go :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Up in her room, Chloe lay back on her bed, she let out a sigh. Outwardly she appeared to be deep in thought, inside though, she was fuming, a boiling storm that wanted to be unleashed. But she reigned it in. Normally she'd fly off the handle and swear revenge on whoever hurt Max, but that wouldn't help in this situation.

' _Can't believe this has been happening, right under out noses...Max...'_ She thought sadly.

She pondered her wish to help her friend, but truthfully she could only see one option, one she never imagined she'd even think of in the first place, but here she was. She got up off the bed and began to make her way downstairs; she shook her head.

' _I can't believe I'm even considering this.'_ She thought, appreciating the irony.

She didn't hesitate however and instantly made her way to the garage and entered. She shifted awkwardly but prepared herself; sure enough she saw David, working away.

"Hey..."

He looked up at her, surprised before becoming suspicious. "Chloe."

She sighed and quickly explained. "Listen, I know you and me, we're like fire and ice but...This thing with Max, I can't just leave it and an extra set of hands to help, that's gotta be worth something right? Why don't we work together, find answers...for Max."

David looked at her in surprise, there was a long silence following her speech and Chloe wondered if her words even got through.

After some time, David sighed.

"You're right, good plan...Alright then, let's get started." He said at last.

Chloe smiled, relieved and when he gestured for her to join him, she did so. He had a collection of documents spread over the counter in front of him. All of them relating to the incident currently going on, copies of the pictures that were causing Max such grief and a few others.

"Alright, this is what I've been able to find out." He said. "Whoever took these was careful, they worked on them carefully and made sure it wasn't immediately obvious. The shower ones were a malicious prank designed to spread things further, sadly they're real. The last one...took a while but finally proof is spreading that it's fake. The original photo, the one started all this. We still need to find out who photo-shopped it, find the real one too and then, well, we'll see..."

Chloe sighed as she took this in, then finally spoke. "Speaking of suspects, my money's on Victoria."

"I thought about her, but that's just, kinda obvious." David replied.

"Exactly." Chloe replied. "That's what's she's counting on, it's so obvious it's her, nobody would consider it. But I'm sure it's her."

"We'll need proof." David replied.

Chloe looked determined as she replied. "We'll find some, somehow."

David knew that look and knew nothing would stop Chloe now. He actually had to admit, he was impressed.

* * *

Later that night, Max lay in bed, spending another restless night. Her mind raced and whirled as she tried to calm down. But nothing was working, she was too worked up, too afraid.

' _Urgh, I'm never getting to sleep like this...Just, thinking about what could happen tomorrow?'_ She thought sadly.

She sat up and sighed, she had been tossing and turning for hours with no results. She was exhausted, the mirror showed she looked terrible, yet nothing she did helped her get to sleep. It was then she heard the soft knock on her door and then it opened. Kate entered, smiling softly.

"Max?"

Max bit her lip. "Hey Kate, I'm sorry I woke you up again."

Kate shook her head, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. "It's fine...Everything will be fine Max."

"I wish I could believe that." Max said sadly.

Kate bit her lip, not so long ago, she recalled saying those exact same words. She didn't hesitate and moved so she was in fact fully sitting on the bed, right next to Max, she hugged her friend and spoke, gently but strongly.

"Max, I'm with you, Warren's with you, so many others...You're not alone, never forget that. That's what you showed me, remember."

"Yeah." Max replied softly. "You're...you're returning the favour now, huh?"

Kate almost laughed at that, Max did have a point. "I guess I am, but not just that."

Max looked at her confused and Kate clarified.

"You're my friend, I _want_ to help you."

Max smiled at that, relieved.

Kate remained where she was as Max lay back down, doing her best to ease her friend to sleep. As she did so however, her gaze fell on something that scared her. Max's camera sat on her desk, covered in a thick layer of dust, it hadn't been touched in some time.

' _Max always uses her camera, takes it with her.'_ Kate recalled. _'But now, no...she's, she can't...'_

It actually scared her how much Max was affected by all of this; the unused camera serving as the ultimate testament to the depth of her suffering.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	13. Chapter 13

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 13 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, yeah.  
Kaikoox: Yeah, here we go.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, it's good :)  
CassieHU: Don't worry, things will work out in the end :)  
Angela3000: Thanks, checked my document and actually I did put 'our' but when I uploaded it to the site it must have, once again, changed it without me noticing and for no apparent reason, that happens a lot in my uploaded documents for some reason :(**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

It was during the weekend, Max sat on her sofa in her room, doing her best to try and stay calm. After cleaning off the layer of dust which marked the neglect it had seen, she was currently playing her guitar; softly strumming the cords to one of her favourite songs. She stopped at the sound of a knock on her door. She knew it wasn't Kate, she was away with her church group at the moment.

"Come in." She called out hesitantly.

She was surprised to see Dana enter and even more so when she saw Dana carrying a set of clothes.

"Hey Max." Dana greeted her, smiling.

"Hi." Max replied, putting her guitar down. "What's...with the clothes?"

Dana grinned. "Trust me on this Max. You've been dealing with so much drama over the last few days, you need something to help you unwind. Luckily, you'll find out what soon enough, but, we need to find you some suitable clothes in the meantime."

Max sighed but her curiosity was too much, so she allowed Dana to get to work, helping her pick out the most suitable clothes for her.

Before long they found a nice outfit, consisting of black leggings, a grey shirt, which Dana insisted she wear with the top button undone, a light blue cardigan and a pair of simple grey flats. In all, cute but comfortable.

Satisfied Max followed Dana outside.

Outside the dorms she was surprised to see Warren waiting.

"Oh, hey Warren..." She trailed off when she saw his and Dana's smirk.

She also saw that Warren was dressed up too, in what she could only describe as smart/casual clothing, a pair of black neatly pressed trousers; a plain white shirt and proper black shoes.

Warren then explained. "I thought, after everything that's happened, you'd like a break, just the two of us, on a surprise date?"

Max gasped before grinning. "Wow, thanks..."

She laughed before hugging Warren, a hug he returned. They both thanked Dana who wished them good luck before heading back inside. Max's smile only widened as she got in Warren's car and they headed off together.

She actually did feel like she was leaving her troubles behind, if only for a moment. As they drove, comfortable in each other's presence, she smiled.

' _This has been a horrible time, but this, this is a welcome break.'_ She thought. _'Not only that, Warren stood by me, all this time...despite everything, he cares that much.'_

Just the thought of that made her feel a lot better about everything.

Before long they were at the restaurant and enjoying a nice meal together. The two of them spoke every now and then, but as usual, they found each other's company the most reassuring thing.

The date had gone extremely well; Max was more than happy to take her mind of things for a while. It was while they were leaving that something happened to surprise her even further. Max's phone rang and she saw it was Joyce.

"Hey Joyce, everything alright?" She asked, curious.

Joyce's tone was mysterious. "Everything's fine Max, listen, can you and Warren drop by Two Whales."

"Uh, sure..." She replied, a little surprised by accepted.

She hung up and told Warren and he immediately began driving there, also confused. They soon got their answers however when they entered and Max saw two very familiar people seated at one of the booths, Joyce standing next to them, talking.

"Mom, dad!" She cried out; amazed.

She immediately rushed to them, all three of them embracing. Joyce smiled at the sight before her, Max was privately happy that the diner was currently empty of customers apart from them at the moment.

"Oh Maxine, we were so worried about you..." Her mother said softly.

Max laughed. "Oh mom, c'mon, remember, it's Max, never Maxine."

Her parents laughed and her father replied. "It's good to see your spirit is still strong, after everything."

Max nodded.

"Yeah, I owe it all to my friends...and Warren." She said warmly, stepped back and taking Warren's hand. "Mom, dad, I guess now is as good a time as any, this is my boyfriend, Warren."

They both smiled.

"It's nice to meet you." Vanessa said happily. "Thank you for standing by Max through this."

Warren nodded, happy to see Max reunited with her parents and the love and support she had from them.

* * *

Meanwhile, while David was hard at work putting everything together, Chloe was ready to test out her hunch. She had made her way to Blackwell and had just managed to sneak into the girl's dorms.

She quickly found what she was looking for, thanks to a chart on the noticeboard showing room allocations. She reached the door to Victoria Chase's room. Thankfully the girl was away somewhere else, which gave Chloe the time she needed.

' _Let's do this, almost got it.'_ She thought to herself.

She knelt down and began working on the lock, she soon had the door opened and entered. She looked around, sneering in distaste at Victoria's high fashion wardrobe and accessories.

' _Tacky and expensive; like the bitch herself.'_

Focusing she found the most likely source of information. Approaching Victoria's laptop she got to work, silently mocking the girl for not putting a password on it.

' _Hmmm, let's see...aha...paydirt baby.'_ She grinned as she worked.

She had plenty, it was all here, enough evidence to prove beyond all doubt that the pictures were fake, and that Victoria was behind the entire thing. She got to work printing off what she needed and quickly pocketed it.

She slipped out of the room and left, the only clue she had been there was the unlocked door. But students forgot to lock their doors all the time, she knew with certainty it wouldn't be an issue.

It was with a triumphant smile she handed her findings to David.

"Here we go, everything we need, I was right."

David looked it over and smiled. "This is perfect, good, we can put an end to this now."

Chloe nodded, relieved, they had the proof they needed, at last.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


	14. Chapter 14

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Chapter 14 of my Life is Strange story, enjoy, last chapter before the epilogue, but really just rounding things off, so not that long, but hopefully still good.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Yeah :)  
Marina Ka-Fai: Thanks, glad you like it :)  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks.  
** **Kaikoox: Yup, just wait and see.  
CassieHU: Sorry, but it's Max we're talking about, that's not going to happen.**

Now onto the story,

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

It was a short while after her little stint of espionage that Chloe entered the Two Whales diner; Max and Warren were still there, along with her mother and Max's parents. Chloe grinned, it had been five years, but Vanessa and Ryan had hardly changed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Caulfield, it's great to see you again."

They all turned and the two started at her in wide-eyed disbelief.

"No way, Chloe?!" Vanessa gasped.

Chloe laughed. "The one and only, I know I look hella different but, it's me."

They embraced, Ryan smiled and greeted her too. Joyce noted the look in Chloe's eyes and also smiled, knowing immediately what it meant.

"Yo Max, we did it." Chloe then announced.

Max looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

Grinning Chloe explained. "David and I just found the proof we need, we know who did it and we can prove it and clear everything up for you."

Max gasped. "Chloe that's...wow thanks."

They all smiled and laughed, Joyce however didn't miss how Chloe called David by name and without animosity. Some new hope sprung in her at that, maybe there was enough left for them to become a family after all.

* * *

Meanwhile, David approached Principal Wells office and was soon let inside.

"Mr. Madsen." The older man greeted him, knowing why he was here. "What news?"

David explained. "I've managed to gather, evidence relating to the incidents involving Max Caulfield lately."

Principal Wells raised an eyebrow at that and David began revealing what he had. By the time he was done, Principal Wells looked shocked and then sighed.

"Thank you, Mr. Madsen, well, I suppose it's time to deal with this...Again, more drama."

David nodded and Principal Wells began to make some calls.

* * *

Therefore, some time later, Max, Mr. Jefferson and Victoria were all seated in the Principal's office, David was also present.

"Now, to elaborate, we are all here, to talk about...recent events concerning, certain pictures at this school." Wells explained. "I must say, I am quite disappointed in you, Miss Chase."

"What?" Victoria gasped; cold dread gripping her heart.

Wells shook his head. "We know, we know about your little...campaign against Max Caulfield, what we don't understand is why?"

Victoria shook her head. "You, no! I..."

"The doctored photos, the humiliations, the...disrespect..." Wells continued. "We have proof Miss Chase."

"Please..." Victoria pleaded.

But to no avail, all the evidence was laid out before her, exposing everything.

"Did you ever stop to think about what you were doing, Miss Chase? Do you have any idea of what you put her through? You never once had a thought for her emotional state, what might have happened?" Principal Wells fired off question after question.

"Stop, please, enough!" Victoria cried out, actually looking close to tears.

It was in that moment, Max saw it and shook her head.

"Principal Wells...I..." She cleared her throat. "I would like to simply, reveal that the pictures are fakes. But I don't want any names, to go public."

"Are you sure, Miss Caulfield, you are the victim here and..."

She nodded. "Yes, I'd rather, this all just ended...I'm sure Victoria can see now, her own insecurities aren't worth tearing someone down over."

Victoria gasped in shock at that, but in the end, Max's words were taken to heart and an agreement reached.

* * *

Later, word spread about the pictures, shocking those who heard. No names were given, but it was soon clear that Max was innocent of what they thought of her. Even the shower pictures were now exposed as the cruel prank they were.

A very strong wave of guilt spread through Blackwell that very day, one which saw many students in an embarrassed state, seeking to make amends, fearing their efforts would not be accepted.

While not named, none were more sorry than Victoria, who was certainly still suspected at least, by those who did not know of her part in things.

* * *

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please. Although it seemed like things were just left, I assure you they were not, don't think Victoria is getting away with it, rather something different than being exposed as the one behind what happened. But that's the last we'll see of her in this story.

Just the epilogue to go now.


	15. Chapter 15

**Life is Strange: The Dark Side of a Passion**

Final chapter of my Life is Strange story, a short epilogue for one final happy moment.

 **Reviews**

 **Boris Yeltsin: Yup, here is the end here.  
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)  
Kaikoox: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it; she is. Well, okay then.  
Marina Ka-Fai: Yeah, it's great, especially after everything that happened.  
CassieHU: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it :)**

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life is Strange or its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Sometime after everything calmed down following the pictures fiasco, Max sat outside the dorms, leaning against a tree. She smiled warmly, Warren sat by her side; she certainly felt a lot better and looked it too.

"Can't believe everything that's...happened, is all over now." She said softly.

Warren nodded in reply, they both smiled and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, for everything." She said.

Warren shook his head. "It's alright Max, it wasn't just me you know, you had others."

"Yeah, Kate, Joyce, Chloe, Dana, Juliet..." Max trailed off.

Warren turned to her. "Max?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Nothing it's just...amazing, I never imagined so many people would actually stand up for me."

"Yeah?"

She nodded before looking over at the nearby sunset and grinned, reaching into her bag. This made Warren grin too; Max had also recovered that vital part of herself, her passion for photography. He watched as she stood up, taking a few steps away, ready to take a picture of the glorious sunset.

* * *

End of chapter and of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.


End file.
